Our invention concerns a process for qualitatively and quantitatively substantially continuously analyzing the aroma emitted and rates of emission of the aroma components thereof from two or more different varieties and/or species of living flowers at a given point in time over a given time period using a single enclosure to contain the living flowers and having aroma trapping means attached to the single enclosure and apparatus for carrying out such a process. Our invention also concerns a process for preparing one or more perfume compositions comprising the steps of carrying out the aforementioned analysis or analyses and then, using the results of such analysis or analyses providing and admixing at least the major components found in the analysis, apparatus for carrying out such process, perfume compositions prepared using such apparatus and process, and perfumed articles and colognes containing such perfume compositions.
Uses of aromas evolved from living flowers which are part of living plants or which are parts of living trees are highly sought after in the perfumery and flavor arts. Great difficulty has been experienced in attempting to capture and reproduce actual aroma ingredients of such living flowers at various points in time relative to the maturation of the plant or tree on which the living flower is growing.
In addition, a need has arisen for observation of the growth of living flowers and a need for measuring such growth, standardizing the measurements of such growth at various times of plant or tree maturation and observing such growth has arisen; in an effort to optimize the marketing of perfume compositions based on living flower components.
Mookherjee, et al, J. Ess. Oil Res., Volume 2, pages 85-90, (March/April 1989) title "Live vs. Dead. Part II, A Comparative Analysis of the Headspace Volatiles of Some Important Fragrance and Flavor Raw Materials" sets forth an examination of the headspace volatiles of living and picked tea rose, narcissus, osmanthus and spearmint comparatively using TENAX.RTM. as the trapping adsorbent and GC/MS analysis ("Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectral Analysis") as the method of analysis. Mookherjee, et al discloses that it was found that the living rose possessed cis-3-hexenyl acetate (20.67%) as the major volatile component, whereas the major volatile component of the picked rose was 3,5-dimethoxy toluene. Mookherjee, et al further states that living narcissus flowers were found to contain benzyl acetate (44.0%), 3,4- and 3,5-dimethoxy toluene (35.0%) and indole (5.0%) whereas picked flowers contain benzyl acetate (30.43%), 3,4- and 3,5-dimethoxy toluene (18-39.5%) and indole (0.3-1.0%). Mookherjee, et al further states that osmanthus flowers (living) were found to possess beta-damascenone, dihydro-beta-ionol, and 4-keto-beta-ionone whereas these compounds were not detected in either air or nitrogen-purged picked flowers. Mookherjee further states that harvested spearmint possessed carvone (70.0%) and limonene (2.0%) in its headspace while the headspace of living spearmint was found to contain carvone (24.0%) and limonene (18.0%). Thus, Mookherjee, et al demonstrated that dramatic chemical changes take place in a plant or flower once it is harvested.
What is not disclosed in the prior art is the fact that when two or more different varieties and/or species of living flowers are placed in the same enclosed 3-space, the resulting aroma is different in kind from the separate analyzed aromas of the separate living flowers and such difference gives rise to unexpected, unobvious and advantageous perfume compositions which have unobvious natural aroma qualities (that is, topnotes, middle notes and undertones).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,805 issued on Aug. 11, 1992 describes an air-tight flexible transparent container containing at least one living flower immersed in an aqueous suspension. Described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,805 is an article useful (i) for display purposes; and/or (ii) for analysis of the headspace in the container above the living flower when the container is fitted with a tube effecting communication of the internal 3-space (internal volume) of the container with outside analytical means and/or (iii) for aromatizing the environment surrounding the container when the container is fitted with a wick effecting communication of the internal 3-space (internal volume) of the container with the environment surrounding the container. However, U.S. Pat. No. 5,136,805 does not teach or infer a technique for quantitatively and qualitatively substantially continuously analyzing the aroma emitted and rates of emission of the components thereof of two or more varieties and/or species of living flowers growing from plants or trees in a natural habitat where the plants or trees bearing such flowers are outside of the enclosure containing the living flowers.